Protection
by Cedechan
Summary: When they first found her,they thought she was a victim..but as they got to know her they learned of her victims.Just as Heero was about to lock up this assassin, he has to turn around and protect her. Or die trying. M for Mature for language
1. Chapter 1

Heero sighed. This assignment was much harder than he had planned.

It has been 6 years since the Eve wars, and he was still working with his good friends Trowa and Duo. Wufei and gone with Sally to make their own doctors practice, and Quatre and left to continue his father's business. He and the others continued to work with Lady Une and Zechs in the Preventers.

Heero had endured more stress than any 23 year old male should have in a life time, same went for his friends. It was a miracle that he and the others even made it past their original animosity towards each other to even become friends in the first place. He was sure he had some gray hairs.

Since the war his assignments had been pretty mundane. Stop this mafia here. Stop this organization there. However, in the last year, there had been a connection to at least 5 of the groups they stopped.

Her.

Heero rubbed his temples. Fucking Kay Longbow.

They first found her, half naked in a cell after they had busted this group they were tracking for a few months. They emptied the building that was being used as their base, it was small but it had three small rooms in the back. They found a dean man in the first room, nothing but blood in the second, and a beat up girl in the third. Kay.

Heero sighed again.

Kay was in pretty bad shape, ligature marks on her wrists, ankles and throat. There were long bloody marks on her back as if she had been scratched…or whipped. She was barely breathing, and they needed to take her immediately to Sally, but they had to cut the chain that kept her attached to the water heater first. She was thin and weak, but she regained consciousness immediately, and kicked Trowa in the knee cap. She was powerful, and Trowa went down. She had broken it.

Duo pulled his gun on her, and yelled at her to freeze. Heero put his hand out to stop Duo, and quickly made sure Trowa was alright. He got a wave from his injured friend, and then returned to the girl. She had rolled onto her back, raised her hands above her head, and smiled.

Heero will never forget that smile. It was eerie because to them at the time, this girl should have been close to dead, scared…something. But Kay was nothing. She smiled at them, and the first words out of her mouth were,

"Ah, it's you guys."

"You know us?" Heero had asked, and she smiled again.

"Who doesn't?" she said. Heero looked at her. She was scraped and bruised all over, dried blood on the left side of her mouth, and fresh blood from a cut above her eyebrow. No jewelry, and hardly any clothes. Dirty ripped panties, and torn up T-shirt, that apparently had the back cut out. He could see one of her nipples through a hole in the shirt. Kay had no modesty; she just stared up at them from the floor acting as if she hadn't just been a torture victim. "It was just a matter of time before we met." She said, and then she turned on her side and spat out some blood.

"Are you going to let up release you without kicking us?" Heero asked her.

"Of course. I thought you were them. A girls got to fight." She said.

Heero took his lock-pick set and released her in a few seconds.

"So what's going on?" he asked, "Who are you? How did you get here? What do they want with you? And why are you not acting like your hurt?"

"I'll answer all this later. I need some stitches." Kay had said nonchalantly, "I'm Kay Longbow." She extended a hand, and Heero took it and helped her to her feet. She adjusted her ragged tee and looked around. All three of them were staring at her with perplexed expressions on their faces. She was the strangest female they had encountered since Dorothy during the war.

She stood there for a second, the wobbled. "Someone catch me…I've lost more blood then I thought." She mumbled, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and then her legs gave out. Duo went forward and caught her, then lifted her into his arms. He looked at Heero. "I don't…even know what to say right now." He said shaking his head in disbelief, staring at the girl in his arms.

"Trowa, you alright?"

"The bitch broke my knee." Trowa growled from the spot on the floor he rested on. Heero could see his knee swelling underneath his pant leg. He helped him up, and they left.

Heero closed the file in front of him. Ever since meeting Kay, she has just been a boil on his ass. He learned later that she was another one of Dr. J's "prodigy" children. He picked her up at the orphanage when she was 6, just after she was orphaned. That was a story Heero was well acquainted with. But what he was shocked to find out was what Dr.J made Kay do.

While Dr.J was training Heero with all the skills to be the perfect soldier, he was training Kay to be the perfect assassin. During the war, he may have been the reason a lot of soldiers died- but she was the reason that a lot of big players disappeared into thin air.

Two days after they found her, he walked into her hospital room to find her standing next to her bed and disconnecting her IV's.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, and she turned around. He stared at her and her green eyes narrowed as she stared back at him.

"I'm leaving."

"Where to?" he asked her. He didn't trust this girl, and he didn't want to let her out of his sights.

"None of your business."

"We saved your ass, it is my business."

"Look Heero-," she said, as a little droplet of blood trickled from where she tore the IV out. She ignored it. "Thanks for getting me out of there, but I have a job to get to. I can't sit holed up here when I have bills to pay."

"You just become more and more of an anomaly. I can't figure you out. There are absolutely no records of you existing, yet we seem to have had same man bring us up. Turn us into what we are. How is it that I've never heard of you?"

"I am nothing but a girl who works at a library, a 22 year old named Lucy. I have a good cover, and I don't want that screwed up because you are being nosey."

"Cover? Cover from what?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said sneering at him.

"Quit with games!" he yelled, quickly losing his patience. "I've had it you!"

"You don't even know me Heero. You found me two days ago, that's it. The only reason you found about the Doc, is because he called you. Now let me leave, and I'll stay out of your hair." She said as she started to pull on a pair of jeans that Sally provided for her. Kay continued to dress and ignore Heero as she pulled the gown over her head. Heero turned his head as she pulled a tank top over her bare torso.

"You're not easily embarrassed are you," he asked rhetorically.

"No." she said simply. "You saw me in that room. Don't pretend. It was ugly. It always is. I've had my fair share of experiences in life and let's just say that I lost my modesty a long time ago."

Heero didn't know what to do after that, he let her go. But it wasn't the last that he saw of her. Three months later, Kay was back in Sally's ER. She was in a coma, from multiple contusions around her body, one to the head. Sally had put her in an artificial coma so that the swelling in her brain could go down.

Heero took this time to find out more about her. He was about to dial the number, when a call lit up his phone.

"I was just about to call you."

"Heero," came the raspy old man's voice.

"Who is Kay Longbow."

"I already told you, Heero. She was my assassin."

"Besides that…_who_ is she. You need to tell me everything you know. She doesn't talk. She just smiles, and I want to slap it off of her!" he said angrily.

"I trained her with the same skills that I taught you. She knows how to operate a mobile suit, I created a small stealth suit for her but during the war I made sure she stayed invisible. She became my perfect killing machine. While you took care of the big troops, the people at the top of the card house, Kay took out the little guys at the bottom of the card house. Together, you guys took it all down."

"Why didn't you ever tell me about her? She sure as hell knew about me."

"The people who work under the radar always know what's going on Heero, you were in the lime light… there was no need for you to know."

"So why is it that she is continually ending up in the hospital, hm? Why is that? Can you tell me?"

"I don't know the answer to that Heero. Kay stopped talking to me after the war ended. Suppose it was because she figured she wasn't needed anymore. Who knows."

"That's not good enough."Heero snarled.

"I don't know what to tell you."

Heero snapped the phone shut. "Dammit." Three days after she was put into intensive care, Sally said she was in good shape, and turned off the drugs that kept her asleep. Heero had planned to interrogate her some more when she came to, but the next morning she had disappeared again.

"This is ridiculous," Duo said to Heero. They were sitting at a bar, Trowa in the middle, all three of them with shots of tequila and a beer in front of them. Duo took his shot.

"How can she just slip out like that? How?" Heero fumed

Trowa shook his head.

"She is a psycho that's how."

"That's not helpful Trowa. I need to know how. And why. Why is she running from us? There has to be a freaking good reason, and I need to know now." Heero took his shot and slammed down the glass.

Note from Me: This is a story I have thought about for years, and years. I am happy to have it finally written. There will be more to come, so I hope that for those of you reading, you like it enough to send me a review. My writing thrives off reviews~ I am more inspired to write with them. Thanks.

Cedechan


	2. Chapter 2

Kay had barely set her head down on her pillow when there was a banging at her door. She slowly rose from her bed. She rubbed her head and ran her hand through her dark brunette hair. Kay grabbed her gun from the night stand and went to the front door. She was limping. She only had on a pair of black work out shorts with white elastic, and a yellow tank top- no bra.

"Who is it?" she asked, her voice was slightly hoarse.

"It's Sally." Came the familiar voice and Kay put the gun in her waist band and opened the door. Her blonde friend stood at the door, arms crossed, brows furrowed and a medical kit at her feet.

"I cannot believe you left the hospital. You were not ready to be released yet!"

Kay could sense the anger in her voice, but she just turned around and walked back to the bedroom of her small apartment. It wasn't much but it was enough for her. Her muscles were still sore so she put her gun back on the night stand, and gently lay back on the bed. Sally followed her into the room.

"They were going to arrest me the moment I was well enough. I've been able to avoid them the last 10 years, and I'm not going to let some injuries change that."

"These aren't **some** injuries Kay. You're seriously injured. Brain swelling isn't something to take lightly. I don't even know how you made it here without passing out."

"I got a ride."

"From who?"

"My employer."

"The same employer who put you in this mess?"

"I suppose that's the one."

"You'll eventually tell me who it is."

"Maybe." Kay closed her eyes.

Sally began to check Kay's vitals and began to swab a spot on her arm.

"What are you doing?" Kay asked groggily

"I'm putting in an IV." Sally responded. She took a picture down from the wall, and put up an IV bag in its place. She inserted the needle in Kay's arm, and put some medical tape over it.

"I'll be fine. I just need rest."

"I know you Kay. You won't take care of yourself, but I can't take you back to the hospital. Do you know how hard it is to not act like I know you when you are at my hospital? If Heero finds out I know he'll go berserk."

"Then let him. The guy needs to pull the stick from his ass anyway." Sally tried to resist a chuckle.

"Well you didn't make the best first impression." She said.

"Pardon me if I wasn't the best hostess of the cell I was tortured in." Kay mumbled.

"You broke Trowa's knee." Sally said, opening Kay's right eye and she flashed a light in it to check the dilation.

"I was delirious from blood loss." Kay said, but she was smiling at her own excuse.

"You should just be straight forward with them. They might help you."

"I'll pass. I'm working for someone, and I don't need any help from the three musketeers,"

Sally eventually packed up her bags, and left Kay with instructions to stay in bed and rest. Kay was about to sleep when she got a phone call. Knowing who it would be, she let the phone ring.

Kay slept for two solid days, and again was woken up to a banging on her front door. She rubbed her eyes and tried to shake the fog from her head. She got up from her bed unsteadily and pulled the IV out of her arm. With the rest her limp had gotten better, and her head didn't pound much. She did notice however that the IV bag was full again. Sally must have been here. Then if Sally had her key, who was at the door?

After many years of escaping from enemies out to kill her, Kay had become a naturally suspicious person. She got her bearings, grabbed her gun and slowly went up the short hallway to the front door. Someone was still knocking loudly on it, and she went to the window and saw the tall blonde man waiting impatiently at her door. She cracked it open, and he pushed his way in.

"When I call, you should answer." Said the deep male voice, he walked into the living room and turned around.

"I've been a little incapacitated, Zech. You should know, I wasn't in the best shape when you dropped me off." Kay snapped, and she turned around to face the Lightning Count, who was also her current employer. She stood at an average 5'7", but he towered over her at 6'4". They formed a deal when the war ended, that he would provide her protection in exchange for her assassination skills.

"I just came by to make sure you were healing alright."

"As if you care, Zech. You do a shitty job of keeping up your end of our little deal here. I've been doing your dirty work, and I'm almost killed."

"Maybe you should be better at covering your tracks.

"I'm a little well known after the war, Zech. That's why I need you for 'protection'. And you suck at it."

"I'm sorry for that."

"I don't accept. Do your job" She spat angrily. "If you want to make it up to me, you'll get the wonder boys off my back."

"I'll see what I can do." He said. Zech bent his head down, pecked her on the cheek, then he swept out of the room like he was never there.

"Cock sucker!" she yelled after him, but she was smiling slightly as the door shut.

Heero had been assigned to other cases, but he never forgot about that raven haired girl who continued to elude him. Une had grown tired of Heero's obsessing, so she forced him to work other jobs. After a while Heero realized that perhaps it was a little ridiculous for him to be so absorbed with solving the mystery of Kay Longbow.

She said she worked for someone…but who?

Dr. J said she assassinated people in the war….but who?

So many unanswered questions.

Then Heero had a small brain storm. He sat down at his desk and turned on the monitor. Clicking began to fill his small office as he began going back over case files. He brought up the file for the first case when they found Kay in that small room. They were tracking the Haas clan, they had been for years and finally got a break on an arrest for drunk driving. One of the three brothers had gotten reckless and they nabbed him. Heero turned to the internet then did a quick search on the Haas family. Their father was the head of the clan 9years ago, right after the war started. He was a huge supplier of illegal drugs and weapons to OZ. Then one day, he just disappeared…and the operation stopped. There wasn't anyone to take over the business since his sons were too young at the time. Apparently they didn't forget since they started it right back up when they were old enough.

Maybe…and this was a maybe…Heero tried connecting the dots, but it wasn't that hard. Kay killed Jonas Haas, 9 years ago…that was her 'clientele', so to speak.

Heero smiled…one mystery- solved.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It took a few weeks before Kay was able to work again. Despite her stubbornness, the migraines and dizziness kept her at bay. She laid in her bed, unable to move without her brain spinning in a million directions. Terrorists she could handle, but vertigo? Not a chance.

Sally made several visits, subscribed several medications, and finally after three weeks, she cleared Kay for work. The medication helped Kay with her dizziness and she finally was able to move around without getting ill.

Kay was zipping up her boots when she got a call.

"Kay," the male voice said on the other line. She remained silent as she picked up her purse. "I have some information for you. Outside. Now."

"You could at least say please." She said, and ended the call. Her purse was packed full with client information, and she hefted it over her shoulder and put her sunglasses on.

The red BMW was sitting outside and she opened the door. Once inside, Zech immediately shifted into first gear and took off before the door was even closed.

"The DiCarlos have begun their search for you Kay." He said.

"Hi to you too." She said without even looking in his direction.

"They are using every link they can find to hunt you down."

"I know this already."

"Then you know that they know about Lucy?"

Kay was silent for a beat.

"No, I didn't know they knew about Lucy. That's a shame. I really liked her."

"Well here is your new Identity," he said, and tossed a file into her lap. She put the sunglasses on top of her head, and looked at the file.

"Matilda? What kind of name is that?" she looked at him, her lips curled back slightly in a strange expression.

"What- its cute. That was my grandmother's name. They called her Tilda. We can call you Tilda." Zech looked over at her, and placed an affectionate hand on her lap. She met his eyes for only a second, while she put a hand over his.

"Not a chance. I don't do 'cute'." She said smiling, patting his hand. Zech smiled back at her, and replaced his hand on the wheel.

"How did they find me?" Kay asked, returning to the DiCarlos.

"Not sure yet. I have my guys running checks on our security."

"I guess it happens. It was probably the Preventers fault. Idiotic wonder boys tossing my name around…"

"I actually wanted to talk to you about them." Zech said, and Kay could sensed the hesitation in his voice. She looked at him with steely eyes.

"What did you do"

"50!" the voice grunted, and it echoed throughout the gym. Trowa peeked his head into the room, and found Heero alone on the bench press.

"You shouldn't do that without a partner. You could kill yourself."

"Shut up. What do you want?" Heero barked, clearly aggravated by something.

Unperturbed, Trowa continued.

"Zech Marquise just called. He said he wanted to strike a deal with us. That Kay was facing something too powerful for his resources, that he needs our assistance. He said he would make her cooperate."

Heero looked like he just saw the tooth fairy.

"He's lying. He wouldn't just hand her over to us."

"Well he did have some limitations. One being that we don't try Kay as a war criminal."

"But she is, and we need to stop her from killing more people!" Heero argued, getting worked up.

"I know how you feel about it Heero," Trowa started, "but I want you to think about her as an ally instead of an enemy. If you look at the information we have been able to dig up about her, she has only disposed of enemies. People we would be fighting right now, if she didn't put an end to them. Admittedly her ability for assassination is a little unnerving, but it would be more beneficial to have her on our side. Zech too. I know you two haven't seen eye to eye since Relena's death, but you can't be enemies forever. He has good sources that would be good to have on our side. And that includes Kay."

Heero, not wanting to hear it, but slightly agreeing with Trowa at the same time grunted a little, then stormed off to the locker room to shower. It angered him to hear Trowa standing up for that woman, but he knew he was right. It would just take a little for Heero to admit it.

"I only arranged a simple meeting with Trowa Barton. He is going to convince Heero to join in the meeting, and we are going to work out an agreement. No jail time for you, and they get their bad guys."

"That's like a plea agreement."

"Not really, you're not in custody, and they don't have any solid evidence against you anyway. Just theories and they are all bad. Just come with me to the meeting, and if Heero doesn't cooperate, then I'll kill him. How about that?"

"You're going to kill the head of the Preventers…in their office…"she said sarcastically.

"I don't like the little bastard anyway. Too serious for his own good."

"That's what I say." She agreed. They came to a silent agreement, and Zech continued down the road, taking a few turns till they got to the freeway.

"I thought you would fight me more on this Kay." Zech admitted.

"Well…I'm stubborn, but I'm not stupid. I'd rather sit on hot coals then go to that office, but I know what the DiCarlo's are capable of, and despite the fact that I could handle them~ I'll admit I probably could use a hand this time." She said.

They pulled up to the building, and Zech found a parking spot. The sun shined down on them, and even though it was a short walk from the car to the building, sweat formed on Kay's brow. As they walked through the building, Kay felt the air conditioner hit her face, wiping away the humidity from outside.

The guards at the front stopped them, but before they could be pat down, the man Kay recognized as Duo rounded the corner and the guards backed off.

"We are ready for you in the conference room." He said.

Zech merely nodded, and Kay just followed.

A young pretty woman brought them some water as they sat down, and she quietly left the room. Heero, Duo, and the man she remembered kicking, were sitting across from her and Zech.

"Thanks for agreeing to meet us," Zech said in a formal business manner.

"We could at least hear you out." Heero said, he sent an icy stare in Kay's direction, she responded in kind with a stare that could burn through gundanium.

"Tell us what is going on Zech. Who are these people?" Duo asked. Zech leaned over and pulled out a manila folder, and slid it across the table.

"The DiCarlo's. Mob family active since A.C. 180, Founder Daniel DiCarlo Sr., found his knack for smuggling weapons at an early age. In A.C 195, Dr. J had Kay take care of Daniel Sr. And as it goes, he had a son, Daniel Jr. Jr was too young at the time to take over, but Sr's brother took over the enterprise. He dealt in smaller sales, and he made sure to stay out of the war. He stayed in the small deals business until his death last year. Daniel Jr grew up an unhappy child. He has Juvie record three feet long, and he continued that rap sheet into his adult years. He's just been released from Firefield penitentiary, two years for assault. He's 21 now, and surprise surprise he has taken over daddy's business." Zech described the case slowly, and Kay watched as the three men across from her looked through the papers, and looked and nodded as Zech spoke.

Zech continued. "My team isn't quite sure how Kay's name got out, but two years ago she was abducted and tortured by another family of one of her…for lack of a better word…'hits'. It's happened six times since. The first time, I was the one who found Kay, purely on accident. She was left bleeding out on the floor… they probably thought she was dead already. They didn't know that this girl can fight."

Up to this point, Kay had been staring dully at the wall, not interested in facts she already knew. Her eyes shot to Zech, surprised by the note of admiration in his voice.

"They find out she is alive, track her down and do their damndest to maim and/or kill her, then someone else picks up the tip. I've tried protecting her, but I'm not there all the time. Kay is more than capable of protecting herself, but she's no match for a 300lb brute. That's why we are here. .. against her wishes of course." Zech added. "Any questions?"

Heero, put down the paper he was currently reading, and lifted his dark blue eyes.

"What do you want us to do?" he sounded cold, but curious.

"We need help. Daniel DiCarlo is deranged, and focused on revenge. Trowa said you guys will try to help. I know how you feel about Kay, Heero, but you need to look past what you know, and try to learn more about her. You don't know all of the facts, and you're building facts."

"You're really not convincing me Zech." Heero said, and Trowa turned his head.

"I think we should help Heero."

"I want to hear her say something." Heero said, gesturing at Kay.

Kay looked up at his, meeting his blue eyes with her hazel ones. He was daring her, trying to push her buttons so she might say something that could make him say no. What an asshole.

Her nostrils flared, and she bit her tongue to think for a moment.

"Daniels resources are vast and even though I'm pretty good, I can't keep up. I really…" she stopped a moment. Admitting what she was about to admit made her cringe. "I really don't want to be tortured anymore; I don't know how much more I can handle. I need help."

"That's good enough. We'll help you." He seemed smug and she saw a smirk on his face. That lit a fire in Kay, and pissed her off. She looked at Zech for a moment, and he closed his eyes because he knew this wouldn't end well.

"What was that? You need me to confess that I need help for you to actually agree? Does that feed your ego Heero? Does that make you feel better you ass?" she snapped, and stood up. "Fuck this. And fuck you. I don't need to be treated like this." There was intense anger and disgust in her face, and Heero stared up at her still smug. She calmed her face, turned around and walked out the door.

"Kay!" Zech called after her, "Kay! God dammit Heero, why are you such a prick?" he got up and followed Kay out of the door.

Trowa, Duo and Heero were left sitting in the room in silence. Trowa looked at Heero.

"What was that about?"

Heero turned to Trowa.

"I don't know what you are talking about." He said, and he stood up and left the room.

"Something is up with him." Duo said. "He's been strange ever since this mess with Kay began. It's like he's on a power trip. He enjoyed doing that way too much."

"It's irritating. I don't know about you Duo, but I want to help her, with or without Heero's help. I'm starting now." He said getting up.

"Wait- what? Where are you going?" Duo said, quickly getting up and following Trowa as he walked out.

"I'm going to follow them. If these guys are as dangerous as Zech says, then they need protection now."

When they got outside the red BMW was pulling out of the parking lot. They got into Trowa's Dodge Viper, and pulled out behind them. When Trowa pulled out of the intersection, and onto the road the BMW was gone.

"Damn."

"So what are you going to do now?" Zech asked Kay, as she fumed in the seat next to him.

"I don't know, but I am not going to work with them Zech. I refuse to be treated like a criminal. I do not have to kiss Heero Yuy's ass. You can all you want, but I will not."

"I know Kay. I thought he would be civil. We'll find another way Kay. We don't need them, I was wrong, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I won't hold it against you…for long." She said joking half heartedly. She thought it was ridiculous that he made her feel better. She looked up at her side view mirror, and suddenly her expression became serious again.

"Zech we are being followed."

"It's probably Trowa or one of them."

"It's not. The car behind us wasn't in the parking lot."

The car behind them suddenly sped up, and rammed them from behind. Zech and Kay braced themselves, and Zech's rear wheels skidded as they corrected themselves.

"Dammit! It's them!" Zech cursed and sped up. Kay pulled a 9mil out of her right boot, took off her seat belt and rolled down the window. She held on to the door frame as they were rammed again, and then she stuck her head out the window.

"Get back in here!" Zech yelled, but his voice was muffled by the sound of gun shots. As her hair whipped around her, Kay could see two cars following them, both black sedans. She fired three rounds, and all three made it through the first windshield, but missed the driver. The passenger seemed wounded. She ducked her head back in the car as they were rammed again, by the second car.

"Fuck Kay! Don't fucking do that!" Zech yelled, he was clearly agitated but he still seemed in control. He swerved in and out of traffic, keeping his breathing steady as he braced for another hit. Some bullets bounced off their bumper, and one made it through their back window, and Kay ducked. Then she turned around, and sent some bullets through the back window, shattering it. They were reaching almost 100mph, and their pursuers were still keeping up. Suddenly a black Skyline GTR pulled out in front of them, and Zech had no time to get out of the way. He swerved in an attempt to avoid the car, and they drifted right into the side of it.

It all happened so fast that Kay had no time to react. She slammed into the door as it hit the other car, Glass exploded in her face and she could feel her right shoulder being crushed. She shut her eyes, and suddenly had the feeling like she was in a roller coaster. She opened her eyes, looked to the left and made eye contact with Zech. He had cuts all over face from flying glass, and his long hair was in his face. That was when Kay realized that they were in the air. For the first time ever, she saw fear in Zech Marquise's face. She was sure there was fear in hers too.

It all happened in half a second.

The Red BMW flipped over the Skyline GTR, landed on the driver's door, rolled over once and landed finally on the roof.

"Zech…" Kay moaned. There was blood in her eyes, and she was laying a few feet from the car, having been thrown as they rolled. She opened her eyes a little and she could see the car in front of her. Zech was hanging from his seat belt, blood dripping down his face. He was unconscious.

"Zech..." she moaned again, and tried to move toward him. She wasn't aware of the footsteps running toward her. Armed men ran up to her, and someone grabbed Kay by the waist and picked her up.

"No! Let me go! Get him out of the car! Zech!" she struggled in the man's arms, but her body did not obey. Kay watched herself get further from Zech and she almost cried in frustration. Her body was in shock and wouldn't respond to what she wanted it to do.

She suddenly felt a sharp pain on the back of her head, and everything went black, and her body went limp.

Trowa and Duo heard on the radio that there was a major car accident just a few streets over, and Trowa spun the car around and headed that way. He skidded to a stop when he saw the rammed and abandoned Skyline, and the Red BMW destroyed a few hundred feet away.

Trowa and Duo got out the car, and they saw two big black sedans stopped not too far from the BMW, and three men walking towards the cars. One of them had something in his arms. A body. It was Kay.

"Kay!" Trowa hollered, but it was too late, by the time he even reached the BMW the men had Kay in the car and they peeled away.

"Shit," he cursed. Duo was on his hands and knees looking into the BMW.

"Trowa, Zech is still in here!"

Trowa got down there to see, and Zech was just hanging there from his seat belt, unconscious, cuts all over his face. There was blood everywhere. Trowa called an ambulance and then crawled in the other side, and he and Duo gently got Zech unbuckled and out of the car. By the time they had him out the ambulance had arrived and Sally was running towards them.

"What on earth happened?" she almost screamed, in her fear.

"We don't know. This happened before we got here, but I know they were attacked. They took Kay." Duo answered, looking defeated.

"Shit." Sally said. "Shit!" she said again, screaming this time. They hurried and loaded Zech into the ambulance. He was bleeding, but not badly, and he only seemed knocked out. They would have to take care of him first, then go find Kay.

If they even could.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Drip_

_Drip_

A man in a dark grey button up shirt and black slacks stared down at the female in front of him. One of her arms hung over the side of the table she was chained to, blood slowly trickled down her wrist and dripped from her limp finger tips.

_Drip_

_Drip_

He wiped the wet blood on his hands on a rag from a nearby chair, and then tossed it back on the chair.

Kay's captor stared down at her body, barely breathing, arms and legs chained to the kitchen table.  
>Her left eye was swollen shut, her lip was split and she was unconscious.<p>

Daniel DiCarlo Jr. was beyond frustrated. This woman has been in his custody for hours and he could not get her to talk.

_ "Where is it?" _

_He had hollered at her in anger as he grabbed her by the neck._

_ " I don't know what you're talking about," she mumbled through her fat lip._

_ "Your Gundam! Where is your Gundam!"_

_ "I don't…have one." She gasped as he tightened his grip._

_ "Don't lie to me! I know you have it, I saw you in it!"_

_ "I…don't have…one." She repeated, and he growled in anger, released her neck and flipped the table on its side. She cried in pain as her body dangled from her chains and he heard the satisfying 'pop' of her shoulder coming out from its socket._

He stared down at her now, looking small on the table, her blood smeared all over its surface. He took a glass of water and poured it on her face.

Her eyes flickered, and she opened her right eye slightly.

"Will you tell me?" he asked her, and she just stared at him. His black hair was long, and un-brushed. He had brown eyes that wide and blood shot.

"I don't have a Gundam." She said, repeating herself for the tenth time.

"When I was a boy, I saw your suit. I saw it with my own eyes! I watched you get out of the panel on the side, and I watched you kill my father. It wasn't bigger than car! Now tell me where it is!" his voice was leaning on desperate, leaning on crazy. She could hear his voice cracking.

"It was destroyed, Daniel, along with the other Gundams on the Eve wars." Kay muttered with effort. Her face was so swollen it hurt to speak.

Daniel stood for a few seconds, registering what Kay had just said. His left eye twitched,

"I. DON'T. BELIEVE YOU!" he screamed and grabbed his hammer.

* * *

><p>When Zech woke up the next day, he woke up with a start. "Kay!" he screamed, as if he was still inside the car, and as he sat up he slowly registered where he was.<p>

Sally was immediately by Zech's side. "She isn't here Zech. Lay down, you have multiple fractures, including one on your skull." Sally gently put her hand on Zechs' chest and helped him lay down.

"Where is she Sally? Where is Kay?" he asked, worry lines streaking across his face. Never in all of her years knowing Zech Marquis had she ever seen him look so grief stricken.

"Zech, the DiCarlos have her," Sally said, and Zech started shaking his head slowly, "Kay was thrown from the car and before any Preventers could make it to the scene, they had taken off with her. She was in just as bad shape as you are; she had no chance to fight."

"I failed, Sally. I failed her." Zech said in a small almost inaudible voice. He placed a bruised hand over his eyes, and Sally thought for a second Zech would cry. Instead he just laid there in silence, and he didn't mutter another word. Sally left him, and went to see Heero.

"Come in," Heero said, and Sally knocked. She came in the door and noticed Heero's office was in disarray. His papers were strewn all over his desk, spilling onto the floor. His waste basket was tipped over, and all of his file cabinets were open with folders everywhere.

"Zech is up, but he is not is good shape Heero. He is…unstable I think. He is very upset about losing Kay…"

"I don't know how he could come to trust a woman like that," Heero started to say, but Sally cut him off.

"You stop that right now Heero Yuy. You have no idea who she is, and Zech came to trust her the same way you trust Duo. If I remember correctly, your first encounter involved him shooting you. You stop judging Kay, and try to see her for who she is. She is more than what the doctor made her into." Sally said, and waited a moment to see if Heero would respond.

He said nothing to her, and just returned to his paper work. "I'll send in the report about Zech." He said, and disgusted Sally left the room.

On her way out she ran into Duo. "You need to do something about him," she said in anger, and left Duo standing there a little confused. He knocked and went into Heero's office.

"What's the matter with Sally?"

"She thinks I shouldn't judge Kay," Heero said nonchalantly.

"Well you are being a bit close minded. As head agent for the Preventers, you should try to put aside your hatred Heero. We need to find her, whether you like it or not."

"I understand my orders Duo. I don't care for them, but I can do my job."

"Then stop being a prick. " Duo said finally. "Stop pissing people off, and just do your job. Do yours, so that I can do mine and retrieve her. Let me know when you've found something."

Heero watched as Duo left, and shook his head. "All these people getting mad at me, I never got to tell them I think I found her…" he said to himself.

* * *

><p>"Please…no more…" Kay murmured, she could no longer feel her right hand. A nail protruded from the center of her hand, nailing it to the table. She was losing a lot of blood. DiCarlo had stripped her of her clothes, and she was in her underwear and bra. Both were torn and bloodied, not that she cared.<p>

DiCarlo had left the room, and Kay tried her hardest to stay conscious, knowing if she didn't she might not wake up. She heard the door open, then close. He spoke.

"Now, now ms. Longbow, I need you to stay alive. I can't have you getting any infections."

Before Kay had any time to process what he had said, he poured a cold liquid all over her body. She smelled hydrogen peroxide. Kay's body was suddenly on fire, every cut pulsing as every nerve was set ablaze.

She screamed


	5. Chapter 5

Trowa sat across the table from Heero and picked up his coffee cup. They had been sitting in silence for half an hour before Trowa spoke.

"You aren't telling me something about Kay, Heero." He said quietly, then took a sip of his black coffee.

"I don't know what you mean," Heero responded without looking up, and he flipped a page in the file he was reading.

They were at their regular diner, just down the block from Preventers headquarters. No one bothered them, they always had the same waitress who just brought them their food and left. The regulars knew who they were, and no one wanted to cross the path of a former Gundam Pilot.

Trowa had been observing Heero since Kay's kidnapping two days earlier. Although he believed Heero's animosity for the woman, he started to notice, very subtly, that it was not all a professional hatred- but a personal one.

"You've been pretending not to know who Kay is, and I think you've known from the start exactly who she is. Just tell me Heero." Trowa fixed a green eye on his friend, who stopped for a moment to consider what he had said. Heero looked over the table a Trowa.

"I don't know where you would have gotten that information from. I'd never met her before."

"I don't believe you."

"Thats too bad,"

"This is personal for you Heero, I can see it in your eyes."

Heero took a moment to study Trowas unwavering face, and decided that Trowa would never give up unless he knew the truth. He sighed.

"I wasn't lying about not knowing who the woman we found in that cell was. It was when she told us her name, that's when things came together for me…I'd never met her before, or seen her face. Just her name. All I had was a name."

"Her name? Where did you have her name from?"

"Four years ago, July…you remember?" Heero looked down at his coffee cup and stirred the luke warm brew with his spoon.

"I do…that was when Relena was-,"

"Yeah- there was a tip that there was going to be an assassination attempt. Zech told us that he would get his best assassin on the job, and Relena would be in no danger." Heero was talking quietly now, the memory paining him.

"You knew?" Trowa asked, astonished by what he was hearing for the first time.

"I trusted Zech to save his sisters life….and I was wrong to do so. Afterward, he came up to me. He could barely speak, he was in shock. He said to me "_Kay just wasn't fast enough. The- the tip…it was wrong, the timing was off….she just wasn't fast enough… I'm so sorry_,"" Heero took a sip from his mug.

"Are you telling me, that Kay is the reason that Relena is dead?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p>...…..<p>

When Kay regained consciousness she was laying on her back again, same chains around her wrists and ankles. She noticed that she felt slightly less pain, her shoulder had been re-set and the swelling in her lip had gone down. Although her left eye was still swollen most of the way shut, she could tell she had been moved to a different room. The new room was all white; Ceiling and the walls, no windows.

"Oh, oh she is finally awake." She heard her captor's voice, and the clicking of shoes coming towards her.

His face appeared in her line of sight. He was ugly to look at, unwashed greasy black hair and beard, a pungent smell emanating from him, and his brown eyes had tired bags under them but were wide with insanity.

"Do you think you are going to get away alive?" he asked. Kay just stared at him with her one eye, she didn't answer. "Why don't you talk? Does it hurt too much?" he asked, and then he slapped her hard across the face.

Kay felt a small amount of blood come from her nose, and she turned her head back to look at him.

"I never expected that you would let me go. "she said slowly, her voice hoarse from her screams during the torture. "They always say that…" she said

"Who always says that," DiCarlo asked

"My past captors…did you think that you are the only one who sought revenge? This is very unoriginal."

This ruffled DiCarlo's feathers a little, and he looked angry.

"Obviously they were weak, and they released you. I will finish the job. I am strong." His voice knocked up two octaves.

"Actually…"Kay said, still talking slowly, "They are all dead." She let the words sink in a little. Even though she was in a lot of pain and her body was immobile, Kay was still an expert at fucking with the mind. Her time with DiCarlo revealed to her how fragile his confidence was, and she had been waiting for the perfect time to shatter it.

"What do you mean dead." He said, more as a statement than a question.

"I killed them. Or my friends killed them. You think I work alone, but I don't. I'm part of a large network. You have a target on your head, you are a dead man."

"I could kill you right now, then where will your friends be, huh?"

"I pity you."Kay said, of course not meaning it, "You think I care about my life? I don't. Kill me. I am just a pawn."

"A pawn?" again his voice went up an octave. She could see his mind reeling with thoughts. If she was a pawn, was his revenge wasted? Kay could not but help a little smirk.

"It doesn't matter what you do with me," she said, "You are a dead man."

* * *

><p>...…<p>

"Hey guys!" a loud voice came across the diner, and Duo joined Trowa and Heero in the booth. He squished into Trowa, and Trowa looked at him annoyed.

Heero had just finished telling Trowa his story about Kay, and he was still a little stunned by it.

"Heero, I cross-referenced all of the locations you gave me for possible places they are keeping Kay. I think I found a good candidate. Most of the buildings are abandoned warehouses…how cliché. Nothing looked good. So I dug a little more, and I discovered his mother's family use to own an insane asylum in England way back Before Colony 1, when the years were still known as millennia—so it was the early 1900's. It closed down in 1955, and it's been an abandoned property for almost 200 years now. The building is still standing after all of this time. There was a police report written up about a year ago when there were some noise complaints from neighbors. This place is in the middle of the country so the noise must have been pretty loud. The police report said it looked like some construction was being done. Nothing after that report though. No one followed up."

"Alright, lets get a team together." Heero said simply, and the three left the diner.


End file.
